Wet blamed for crashes
LIGHT drizzle has been blamed for a series of road crashes around the Far North.
A truckie had a lucky escape near Innisfail early yesterday morning when his B-double rolled on South Johnstone Rd as he passed an oncoming rig.
The 60-year-old driver, from Maryborough, was uninjured but his passenger was treated for minor cuts and bruises.
On Tuesday night, a car plummeted several metres into a creek bed at Tully after skidding off Bryant St.
Police said the vehicle landed on its side about 2-3m down the
embankment.
The 25-year-old driver clambered out the passenger side door but was not injured.
Emergency crews were also called to a single-vehicle rollover near Bloomfield yesterday morning.
A man was taken to Cooktown Hospital with minor injuries.
No one was hurt in a collision involving a Sunbus and a
four-wheel-drive near Thomatis Creek on the Captain Cook Highway about 8.30am.
Morning traffic was virtually reduced to a standstill as police blocked one lane to clear the damaged vehicles.
Far North acting traffic Insp Preben Farbaek said although most of the crashes were caused by slippery roads, inattentive and impatient driving had also been a factor.
He said many motorists appeared to take too long to adapt when light rain greased the roads, so the "crash rate" increased.
"Due to the wet weather, there have been a number of crashes, primarily because of people not driving to the conditions or driving too close to the vehicles in front of them," he said.
"It takes people a day or two to get used to it."
A 23-year-old Malanda man almost became the Far North's 13th road fatality for the year when his car smashed into a tree on Lake Barrine Rd on Tuesday morning.
Joshua McCabe is in a stable condition at Cairns Base Hospital.
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Heavy landing: A truck driver and his passenger escaped serious injury when their B-double rolled on South Johnstone Rd, near Innisfail.
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